JJ Abrams’ five best films

Writer, director, producer JJ Abrams seems to hold Hollywood in the palm of his hand these days. If you see a hit television show or a successful feature film, it most likely has his name attached to it somehow. He is such a powerful force in Hollywood right now that there could easily be a similar list of his best TV shows as well. But, since this page is dedicated to movies then the focus will be on that. Therefore, here are JJ Abrams’ five best films so far.

5. ‘Regarding Henry’ (1991) – Not all of JJ Abrams’ movies are blockbuster, science fiction films. Written and co-produced by Abrams, ‘Regarding Henry’ stars Harrison Ford as the cocky, good-looking attorney Henry Turner whose life changes dramatically when he gets shot one fateful night. The once quick-tongued lawyer is now reduced to a shell of himself while he struggles to regain his memory and his ability to walk, talk, and live a normal life. As he slowly puts the pieces of his life back together we soon realize that it was not nearly as good as it seemed. ‘Regarding Henry’ plays like a mystery as we find out who the real Henry was. It’s especially funny, yet disheartening, to find out the real reason behind Henry’s love of Ritz crackers. The charm of this film is mainly due to Harrison Ford’s portrayal of the sweet and innocent Henry. No matter how awful of a person he was before, you will find yourself rooting for him to succeed in the end. Yes ‘Regarding Henry’ is quite predictable, but still really good to watch.

4. ‘Cloverfield’ (2008) – JJ Abrams produced this mega-hit that seemed to spawn similar films just like it for years to come. ‘Cloverfield’ follows a group of friends on one night as they try to evade a monster that is terrorizing New York City. Everything is recorded on a very shaky camcorder as they try to save one of their friends. This film is so intense to watch because you know the monster is lurking close by, but you never really see what it is until it’s too late. All you catch are glimpses of it in the shadows which made it so creepy throughout. ‘Cloverfield’ feels like a horror flick from the 1960’s because the fear is imagined and never really seen. The only real problem with this film is the aforementioned shaky camera. For those of you who get physically ill because of it, including yours truly, then you may want to avoid this one altogether.

3. ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation’ (2015) – Many of you may have grown tired of Tom Cruise, but if you haven’t seen this movie yet then you need to check it out right now. The latest movie in the Mission Impossible franchise feels it is like the best one yet! The film starts with Ethan Hunt (Cruise) trying to prove that the evil Syndicate is behind most of the disasters around the world. Hunt is double-crossed early on and comes face to face with the Syndicate’s leader Lane (Sean Harris). Ethan has to stop the Syndicate from their ultimate goal of global destruction pretty much by himself. What makes these films so good are the clever stunts and the cool gadgets used throughout. In the opening scene, we watch Ethan hanging onto the edge of an airplane while it takes off. Another great scene is when he escapes while being interrogated by the enigmatic Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). You won’t really know which side she is on until the very end. There is also a great motorcycle chase scene that will keep you on the edge of your seat. JJ Abrams wrote, produced, and directed ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation’ and it is certainly one to watch.

2. ‘Star Trek’ (2009) – One of the hardest things to do is to successfully take on one of the most popular movie franchises in history. ‘Star Trek’ has spawned several movies and television shows over the last five decades and it looked like its run was over a while ago when they dared to kill the original James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Well, that was until JJ Abrams decided to produce and direct his version which brought a much needed fresh perspective to the ‘Star Trek’ narrative. In this film, we get to see James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), Bones (Karl Urban) and the crew of the USS Enterprise before their first mission. The brash Kirk constantly battles with the methodical Spock for control of the Enterprise as he tries to live up to his father’s legacy. All of this happens while an evil Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) looks to destroy the Federation. We even get to see Leonard Nimoy make an appearance! Even if you are not a fan of these films you really should check this one out. ‘Star Trek’ is filled with all the action, comedy, and Abrams’ famous lens flares you want to see.

1. ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (2015) – It’s hard to take on one of the world’s most famous movie franchises because it is so difficult to make everyone happy. So, imagine taking on two of the world’s most famous movie franchises! Such is the case when JJ Abrams decided to write, produce, and direct the fan favorite ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. Since it came out in 1977, the ‘Star Wars’ franchise is the undisputed king of the box office. The classic battle of good versus evil combined with probably the most famous villain of all time in Darth Vader makes these films more popular than any other. ‘The Force Awakens’ takes place some thirty years after the fall of the empire and the rise of the Jedi. Apparently, life hasn’t been kind to Luke (Mark Hamill), Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and the Resistance. A new threat, The First Order, is lead by a Darth Vader wannabe Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and is threatening to control the universe. Meanwhile, a young scavenger on a desert planet named Rey (Daisy Ridley) comes across a little robot that holds the key to ending this war. It is true that Abrams seems to have borrowed heavily from the original ‘Star Wars’ movie, but man it is still so good to watch. There are also so many references to the previous films that fans of the franchise will just love.

So there it is. JJ Abrams’ five best films so far. A special mention needs to go to two of my favorite television shows in a long time; ‘Lost’ and ‘Fringe’. Even though ‘Lost’ may not have had the best ending, each season brought so many questions and seemed to revolutionize the way television shows were made. ‘Fringe’ was also so very good as we saw just how far one man would go to save his child. JJ Abrams certainly does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon either. The more work her does means the more movies and TV shows we get to enjoy.

Movie Trailer: ‘Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation’

Tom Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt in another wildly outrageous, but exciting film in the Mission Impossible franchise. JJ Abrams wrote, produced, and directed this spy thriller to perfection.

Movie Trailer: ‘Star Trek’

JJ Abrams brings a fresh, new perspective to the Stark Trek universe by bringing to life all of the original characters we love as young men and women before their famous voyages on the USS Enterprise.

Movie Trailer: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

The highly anticipated beginning to the newest trilogy to the Star Wars franchise certainly was great to watch even though some of it borrowed almost too heavily from the original film.